Do you want Mike Vick on YOUR team?

[jiminphilly]

NAACP keepin it real.

Updated: August 26, 2009, 11:46 PM ET

Eagles hope to avoid 'ugly scene'
By Sal Paolantonio
ESPN
Archive
PHILADELPHIA -- A massive demonstration is planned to support Michael Vick at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday, when Vick is expected to make his debut with the Eagles.

The Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP, the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and other local civil rights groups had planned a demonstration o support Vick.


“
We believe Michael Vick has served his time, paid his debt to society and deserves a second chance and the animal rights groups want to hold him hostage for the rest of his life.

”
-- J. Whyatt Mondesire, president, NAACP's Philadelphia chapter

However, the Eagles called the NAACP after hearing of the plans for the demonstration at the stadium, and asked them to cancel the rally to stop a potentially "ugly scene," J. Whyatt Mondesire, president of the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP told ESPN.

Mondesire told The Associated Press later Wednesday evening that his group and the Black Clergy of Philadelphia had decided to proceed with their march on Thursday.

"We believe Michael Vick has served his time, paid his debt to society and deserves a second chance and the animal rights groups want to hold him hostage for the rest of his life," J. Whyatt Mondesire, president of the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP, said Wednesday. "We think that's patently unfair. It denies Michael Vick's basic civil rights, denies him his ability to make a living."

The Eagles' security operation is planning for individual animal rights protests outside the stadium.

Earlier Wednesday, Mondesire said about a half-dozen groups from around the Philadelphia area were planning to meet at the front of Lincoln Financial Field and begin a march around the stadium prior to the Eagles' preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.


The Eagles have not heard of any planned demonstration or protest from animal rights groups, which met with team management for two hours on Monday at the team's practice facility. Although no local animal rights group have yet to partner with the Eagles or Vick in a local anti-dogfighting campaign, the meeting appeared to end on a positive note and head off any planned massive protest, participants said.

Meanwhile, animal advocates are throwing a tailgate party on the other side of town Thursday for the 2nd Chance Dogs campaign -- a pointed reference to Vick's second chance in the NFL -- to increase awareness of dogfighting and encourage adoption of rescued pit bulls.

The initiative, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, was launched after the Eagles signed Vick, who served 18 months in prison for running a dogfighting ring.

"As a lot of people have pointed out, [Vick's] animals never got a second chance," SPCA chief executive Sue Cosby said. "We need to speak for them."

Local animal advocates seem to be keeping their distance. Rather than protest Vick or work with him, they prefer to use the public debate about his return to the NFL to raise money and awareness of animal cruelty issues.

"The animal welfare groups really have no interest in working with Michael Vick," said Tom Hickey Sr., founder of the Pennsylvania advocacy group DogPAC.

Hickey, who is also a member of the state dog law advisory board, has more than 5,000 signatures on a petition asking the Eagles spend the equivalent of Vick's salary -- $1.6 million -- to establish a rehabilitation and training center for dogs.

Nothing was decided at the meeting, but Hickey felt it was constructive.

"I think it was very educational for the Eagles. It was important that they get involved in the community," he said.

Eagles senior vice president Pamela Browner-Crawley told reporters afterward that "financial support is on the table," along with other resources, but gave no details.

Karel Minor, executive director of the Humane Society of Berks County, wrote on the agency's Web site that he was one of many at the meeting who felt it was time to stop chastising the team and start using its resources to help animals.

"We can make use of the power and influence of the Eagles to make a positive difference," Minor wrote. "We can challenge them to make good on their promise to help us end dogfighting and maybe even more."

Hostage? Hostage? How does a guy like Mondesire have any position of authority.. oh wait.. nevermind.

[ucantdoitdoggieSTyle2]

"We believe Michael Vick has served his time, paid his debt to society and deserves a second chance and the animal rights groups want to hold him hostage for the rest of his life," J. Whyatt Mondesire, president of the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP, said Wednesday. "We think that's patently unfair. It denies Michael Vick's basic civil rights, denies him his ability to make a living."

I think he should be allowed to 'work' as well. As far as paying off his debt to society, I think that’s a work in progress.


Listing of major financial obligations:
Although dozens of creditors were listed in the initial bankruptcy filing, several stood out as major ones, and among these, some had already obtained legal judgments and/or claimed priority over others.
Joel Enterprises
Joel Enterprises of Richmond was listed by Vick as one of his larger creditors. Sports agents Andrew Joel and Dave Lowman claimed Vick signed a contract with their firm in 2001, 9 days before he announced he was leaving Virginia Tech early and declaring himself eligible for the NFL Draft. With his mother as a witness, Vick signed a five-year marketing agreement that anticipated a wide range of endorsement activities using Vick's name, likeness, voice and reputation. Joel's cut would be 25 percent of all deals, excluding Vick's NFL contract, according to the agreement.[67] Subsequently, Vick attempted to end the relationship with Joel Enterprises suddenly a few weeks later, and entered into another relationship with other agents.
In 2005, Joel Enterprises sued Vick in Richmond Circuit Court for $45 million in compensatory and punitive damages for "breach of contract" . After the Virginia Supreme Court denied a Vick motion and ruled that the civil trial could proceed in December 2006,[67] the parties both agreed to submit the dispute to binding arbitration for resolution instead of a formal civil court trial. The case was heard in Richmond by Charlottesville attorney Thomas Albro. The outcome was an award of $4.5 million to Joel.[68]
Atlanta Falcons
Although he is not being paid while on suspension, the Falcons sought to recover a portion of Vick's $37 million 2004 signing bonus. A reduced amount of $20 million awarded to the Falcons in binding legal arbitration, which Vick was disputing. However, that amount was reduced by an agreement between the parties that Vick will pay the Falcons between $6.5 and $7.5 million, the variance depending upon the outcome of a pending court-case which was similar, but unrelated.[69] The bankruptcy court was advised of this Vick-Falcons settlement agreement on April 3, 2009.
Royal Bank of Canada
On September 20, 2007, Royal Bank of Canada, DBA RBC Centura,[70] filed a civil lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Newport News against Vick for more than $2.3 million for a loan which was to be for real estate purposes.[71][72] The suit claimed Vick failed to meet a September 10 deadline to repay the loan.[73][74] On May 7, 2008, the court granted a motion for summary judgment against Vick for default and breach of a promissory note and ordered him to pay more than US$2.5 million.[75]
1st Source Bank
On September 26, 2007, 1st Source Bank, based in South Bend, Indiana, claimed in a federal lawsuit that it had suffered damages of at least $2 million as Vick and Divine Seven LLC of Atlanta had refused to pay for at least 130 vehicles acquired to be used as rental cars. The "Specialty Financing Group" of 1st Source provides financing for rental car fleets in many locations around the country, according to the bank's web site.[76] The company's listed address, 2527 Camp Creek Parkway, in College Park, Georgia is also listed as a Payless Car Rental franchise location.[77] College Park is a south Atlanta suburban area adjacent to the busy Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
According to a spokesman for the bank, 1st Source had been able to repossess most of the cars, which will limit Vick's financial liability in the lawsuit.[78][79] Vick's bankruptcy filing listed $400,000 as the amount of his potential liability; the filing did not indicate that the amount due 1st Source Bank was either secured by any assets or in dispute.[80]
Wachovia Bank
On October 2, 2007, Wachovia Bank filed suit in U.S. District Court in Atlanta seeking about $940,000 from Vick and Gerald Frank Jenkins, a business partner and their Atlantic Wine & Package LLC. The bank claimed the two defaulted on a May 2006 loan of $1.3 million to set up a wine shop and restaurant and had not made scheduled payments.[81][82][83][84] Jenkins, a retired surgeon, has owned Atlantic Wine since 2004. A news media report indicated that he had brought Vick in as an investor.[85][86][87]
On May 14, 2008, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that summary judgment in favor of Wachovia against Vick had been granted by the U.S. District Court in Atlanta. The amount of $1,117,908.85 represented the initial principal balance outstanding ($937,907.61), interest accrued, outstanding fees, overdrawn accounts and attorneys fees. The order provided that further interest could be accrued.[88]
U.S. Department of Labor
On March 25, 2009, United States Department of Labor filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Newport News, alleging that Vick and others (including past financial advisers Mary Wong and David Talbot) violated federal employee benefits law taking funds in the amount of $1.35 million in withdrawals from the retirement plan sponsored by MV7, one of his companies.
The money held was in trust under pension laws to fund retirement plans for 9 current or former employees of MV7. The Labor Department simultaneously filed an adversary complaint in federal bankruptcy court to prevent Vick from discharging his alleged debt to the MV7 pension plan.[89] The complaint alleged that some of the funds were used to for Vick's own benefit, including paying restitution ordered in his dogfighting conspiracy case.[90]

[jiminphilly]

Rack Vick for keeping it real

Sports in Brief: Vick's account is challenged

The Virginia Beach restaurant that hosted Michael Vick's birthday party has given police video that contradicts the account given by Vick's attorney of the moments before a shooting early Friday, a restaurant partner told the Daily Press of Newport News, Va.

Guadalajara spokesman Allen Fabijan said owners turned over surveillance video to police Tuesday. Vick's attorney has said Vick left well before the shooting.

Fabijan said two cars carrying Vick, an Eagles quarterback from Newport News, and his entourage left at 2:07 a.m. Three minutes later, shots rang out from the direction the cars had gone, Fabijan said.

An unidentified eyewitness told the newspaper that shooting victim Quanis Phillips, a codefendant in the Vick dogfighting case, tapped or slapped on the hand of Vick's fiancee, Kijafa Frink, as she fed Vick cake. He said little cake touched Vick's face, but words were exchanged. Unnamed witnesses gave the New York Post a similar account.

Some memorable quotes after Vick was signed:

"It was very tough initially, but everybody we talked to said the same thing, that he was remorseful and that he had gone through an incredible transformation, that he was basically good at heart," Banner said, according to the Daily News. "We heard this over and over again from people who felt he deserved a second chance."

"I'm a believer that as long as people go through the right process, they deserve a second chance," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "He's got great people on his side; there isn't a finer person than Tony Dungy. He's proven he's on the right track."

"I pretty much lobbied to get him here," McNabb said. "I believe in second chances and what better place to get a second chance than here with this group of guys. ... He's no threat to me, not for Kolb. We had the opportunity to add another weapon to our offense."

McNabb =

“There is no room for error,” Lurie said. “There is no third chance. If it isn’t fulfilled the way we expect it to be, that will be the end.”

Well Jeff? Have you signed the release forms yet?

[mvscal]

shooting victim Quanis Phillips

Pray for him.